So I can't believe the very first monster I went to look up in the new MM has already confused me.
Beholder Actions, does it have to choose either the 3 eye ray attacks OR the bite or do they get both as their action? I think it means the choose either the 3 eye rays OR a bite.
But this isn't nearly as confusing as the Legendary action "Glare" which states that "The beholder uses Eye Rays." The fact this is plural (Rays) and that it has Multiattack (3 eye rays) implies the Legendary action "Glare" gives the beholder 3 more uses of Eye Rays. Or is it just one Eye Ray singular? Which would make the description of Glare using "Rays" super confusing.
If it's just one use of a singular eye ray, that is strange. It would mean a regular action gives either 3 eye rays OR 1 bite, but a Legendary Action gives only 1 eye ray or 2 bites. Is that correct?
Well that looks like they missed a line. As written, a weak bite or 3 eye rays, but if you look at the legendary actions, which is also missing a sentence. Action economy says the beholder should be able to bite 3 times per turn, and twice per legendary action, but it's not written that way. It can do one bite, or three eye rays. No mixing and matching, no more than one bite on his turn.
Also the eye ray legendary action is plural but as written you can only do one.
Actions
Multiattack.The beholder uses Eye Rays three times.
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the beholder can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The beholder regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
So I can't believe the very first monster I went to look up in the new MM has already confused me.
Beholder Actions, does it have to choose either the 3 eye ray attacks OR the bite or do they get both as their action? I think it means the choose either the 3 eye rays OR a bite.
But this isn't nearly as confusing as the Legendary action "Glare" which states that "The beholder uses Eye Rays." The fact this is plural (Rays) and that it has Multiattack (3 eye rays) implies the Legendary action "Glare" gives the beholder 3 more uses of Eye Rays. Or is it just one Eye Ray singular? Which would make the description of Glare using "Rays" super confusing.
If it's just one use of a singular eye ray, that is strange. It would mean a regular action gives either 3 eye rays OR 1 bite, but a Legendary Action gives only 1 eye ray or 2 bites. Is that correct?
The Multiattack description tells you what it can do as a multiattack, which is use its Eye Rays ability three times. Bite is listed as a separate action, so it's not part of the multiattack action.
The Legendary Action says "The beholder uses Eye Rays", so it uses its Eye Rays ability one time. If it were intended that it get three Eye Rays attacks as a Legendary Action, it would say "The beholder uses Eye Rays three times", but it doesn't say that.
The fact that the name of the ability has an "s" on the end doesn't change anything about how it works. The names of abilities don't define what they do; the descriptions do.
"Eye Rays" is plural because there are multiple options (Charm Ray, Paralysing Ray, Fear Ray, etc). When they refer to it in the other parts of the Statblock, it's still plural to indicate that it's specifically referring to that ability. It's just procedural logic, the title is plural, so they refer to it as plural, even though it's only a single action.
The Legendary Action is one use of the "Eye Rays", which is to say, you get one ray out of one Legendary Action. This means that the individual Legendary Action is less powerful than what the Beholder does on its turn - which I think is typical for creatures with Legendary Actions (compare with Tarrasque).
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Thanks for all the insights. Yeah, I was coming around to that conclusion. I still think it's a bit confusing how it's all worded, but I think I get it.
Regular Action = Either 3 eye rays OR 1 Bite
Legendary Action = Either 1 eye ray OR 2 Bites
Still odd to me that the Legendary action is stronger on Bite and weaker on Eye Ray but maybe there's a balance reason behind that.
Thanks again for the help. My head is filled with a swirl from playing all editions from 1979 OD&D and AD&D to 2e to 3/3.5e, to Pathfinder, to 5.14 and 5.24 today so sometimes the paradigm shifts take time to settle in my weary brain...
It makes more sense if you think about how the tactics of a beholder fight are likely to go.
Its eye rays are its main weapons. PCs are likely to get into the anti magic zone for defense.
On its turn, it can reorient the zone and zap away.
Outside its turn, the PCs are hiding in the zone, and some of them are getting into its face to attack it. The double bite lets it punish that more effectively.
I'd like to add that, as debated here, a creature takes the Attack action to use Multiattack.
Multiattack Some creatures can make more than one attack when they take the Attack action. Such creatures have the Multiattack entry in the “Actions” section of their stat block. This entry details the attacks a creature can make, as well as any additional abilities it can use, as part of the Attack action.
So the next rules from the Attack action applies:
Attack [Action] [...] Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it. Moving between Attacks. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks.
Funny note: I guess a Beholder can't equip or unequip its eyes 😅
I'd like to add that, as debated here, a creature takes the Attack action to use Multiattack.
Multiattack Some creatures can make more than one attack when they take the Attack action. Such creatures have the Multiattack entry in the “Actions” section of their stat block. This entry details the attacks a creature can make, as well as any additional abilities it can use, as part of the Attack action.
So the next rules from the Attack action applies:
Attack [Action] [...] Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it. Moving between Attacks. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks.
Funny note: I guess a Beholder can't equip or unequip its eyes 😅
A Beholder with one or more prosthetic eyes would actually be a delightful big boss
I'd like to add that, as debated here, a creature takes the Attack action to use Multiattack.
Multiattack Some creatures can make more than one attack when they take the Attack action. Such creatures have the Multiattack entry in the “Actions” section of their stat block. This entry details the attacks a creature can make, as well as any additional abilities it can use, as part of the Attack action.
So the next rules from the Attack action applies:
Attack [Action] [...] Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it. Moving between Attacks. If you move on your turn and have a feature, such as Extra Attack, that gives you more than one attack as part of the Attack action, you can use some or all of that movement to move between those attacks.
Funny note: I guess a Beholder can't equip or unequip its eyes 😅
A Beholder with one or more prosthetic eyes would actually be a delightful big boss
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
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So I can't believe the very first monster I went to look up in the new MM has already confused me.
Beholder Actions, does it have to choose either the 3 eye ray attacks OR the bite or do they get both as their action? I think it means the choose either the 3 eye rays OR a bite.
But this isn't nearly as confusing as the Legendary action "Glare" which states that "The beholder uses Eye Rays." The fact this is plural (Rays) and that it has Multiattack (3 eye rays) implies the Legendary action "Glare" gives the beholder 3 more uses of Eye Rays. Or is it just one Eye Ray singular? Which would make the description of Glare using "Rays" super confusing.
If it's just one use of a singular eye ray, that is strange. It would mean a regular action gives either 3 eye rays OR 1 bite, but a Legendary Action gives only 1 eye ray or 2 bites. Is that correct?
Well that looks like they missed a line. As written, a weak bite or 3 eye rays, but if you look at the legendary actions, which is also missing a sentence. Action economy says the beholder should be able to bite 3 times per turn, and twice per legendary action, but it's not written that way. It can do one bite, or three eye rays. No mixing and matching, no more than one bite on his turn.
Also the eye ray legendary action is plural but as written you can only do one.
Multiattack. The beholder uses Eye Rays three times.
Bite.Melee Attack Roll:+8, reach 5 ft. Hit: 13 (3d6 + 3) Piercing damage.
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature’s turn, the beholder can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The beholder regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Chomp. The beholder makes two Bite attacks.
Glare. The beholder uses Eye Rays.
The Multiattack description tells you what it can do as a multiattack, which is use its Eye Rays ability three times. Bite is listed as a separate action, so it's not part of the multiattack action.
The Legendary Action says "The beholder uses Eye Rays", so it uses its Eye Rays ability one time. If it were intended that it get three Eye Rays attacks as a Legendary Action, it would say "The beholder uses Eye Rays three times", but it doesn't say that.
The fact that the name of the ability has an "s" on the end doesn't change anything about how it works. The names of abilities don't define what they do; the descriptions do.
pronouns: he/she/they
"Eye Rays" is plural because there are multiple options (Charm Ray, Paralysing Ray, Fear Ray, etc). When they refer to it in the other parts of the Statblock, it's still plural to indicate that it's specifically referring to that ability. It's just procedural logic, the title is plural, so they refer to it as plural, even though it's only a single action.
The Legendary Action is one use of the "Eye Rays", which is to say, you get one ray out of one Legendary Action. This means that the individual Legendary Action is less powerful than what the Beholder does on its turn - which I think is typical for creatures with Legendary Actions (compare with Tarrasque).
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Thanks for all the insights. Yeah, I was coming around to that conclusion. I still think it's a bit confusing how it's all worded, but I think I get it.
Regular Action = Either 3 eye rays OR 1 Bite
Legendary Action = Either 1 eye ray OR 2 Bites
Still odd to me that the Legendary action is stronger on Bite and weaker on Eye Ray but maybe there's a balance reason behind that.
Thanks again for the help. My head is filled with a swirl from playing all editions from 1979 OD&D and AD&D to 2e to 3/3.5e, to Pathfinder, to 5.14 and 5.24 today so sometimes the paradigm shifts take time to settle in my weary brain...
It makes more sense if you think about how the tactics of a beholder fight are likely to go.
Its eye rays are its main weapons. PCs are likely to get into the anti magic zone for defense.
On its turn, it can reorient the zone and zap away.
Outside its turn, the PCs are hiding in the zone, and some of them are getting into its face to attack it. The double bite lets it punish that more effectively.
The problem is that they named the ability 'eye rays'. If they named the ability "random eye ray" it would accurately convey what it does.
I'd like to add that, as debated here, a creature takes the Attack action to use Multiattack.
So the next rules from the Attack action applies:
Funny note: I guess a Beholder can't equip or unequip its eyes 😅
A Beholder with one or more prosthetic eyes would actually be a delightful big boss
pronouns: he/she/they
The wind told me today that variation was considered to be included in the 2025 MM.
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)